Sunny Days
(Akron/Tire Review) Mexico and Kumho Tire U.S.A. have become rather synonymous. For the past several years, the tyremaker has chosen Cancun or Puerto Vallarta as destinations of choice for its annual dealer meeting. This year’s meeting, held Jan. 5-9 in Cancun, was another successful event at a pleasant resort setting.
This time, Kumho added a minor twist to the festivities: dealers got to meet the newly installed CEO and president of Kumho Tire North America B.K. Kim. Don Hun Ham, recently named president of Kumho Tire U.S.A., was unable to attend.
Also on hand were Dave Hudrlik, vice president of sales and marketing; Mike Leverington, director of marketing; Kelvin Oh, general manager and sales coordinator; and Rick Brennan, brand director, all of whom spoke to dealers about the company’s 2006 accomplishments and its plans for 2007.
Parent company Kumho Tire Co. is currently ranked 10th among tyre manufacturers worldwide, with revenue of $1.6 billion in 2006. In the U.S. alone, Kumho has gone from just under $100 million in sales in 1997 to $465 million in revenue in 2006 and is aiming for what it feels is a reachable target of $610 million for 2007. In terms of tyres, Kumho hopes to reach 9.3 million units in the U.S. for 2007, according to the management team.